The Day She Screamed
by Keapup
Summary: Other people had never liked Willow. Not even her own father. You see, Willow had a secret. A secret that wasn't so hidden. Everyone knew, and Willow hated it. Why her? Why couldn't she just be normal? Follow Willow as she goes to Hogwarts, meets her first ever friend, and helps to solve an ominous mystery about the school where she finally felt closer to normal.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi! This is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it! Thanks so much for reading! Disclaimer: I'm not the queen that is J. K. Rowling. My only character is Willow.

Willow Frater woke up on a seemingly normal day. She sat up off the floor, got dressed, and pulled her long, black hair into a make-shift ponytail. It was already down to her knees, and she was only eleven. She would have to cut it soon, or it would start to trip her. Her hair seemed to grow unnaturally fast, but Willow didn't mind. She walked down the stairs to find her father passed out on the couch from drinking too much. She could smell the alcohol from the end of the hallway that connected the sitting room, stairs, and kitchen. She grabbed some bread and put it into the toaster. The clock on the counter read 6:30 AM. She dragged her chair over the window to watch the sun rise.

Willow had never been loved. That much was clear. A mistake and a burden, her father called her. Her mother, a banshee, had left when she was two, because Willow had screamed for the first time, by accident, of course. Her father was knocked out for an hour. After that, her father started a row with her mother. Her mother had never explained that she was a banshee. After the row, she had fled, leaving Willow to be abused and mistreated by her father. Willow had grown up to constant streams of hurtful comments and abuse.

On the days her father wasn't drunk, he tried to tie her wrists together and gag her with spare cloth and duct tape before pushing her into her room to keep her from screaming again. Willow had no intention to ever scream again. The first time she was gagged probably when she was around three, Willow panicked. She felt trapped and unable to escape. Somehow, the duct tape vanished, and the cloth fell to the ground. Willow was used to escaping from it now. It seemed that a violent yank could rip open the duct tape on her hands, then she could pull the rest of the cloth and duct tape off her face.

The sun rose slowly and Willow thought while eating her toast, that if she were to ever scream again, which she wouldn't, she would get revenge on her father. Willow sat there for a while before starting to braid her hair. She would spit it into three sections before taking each one and braiding it. Then she would braid those sections together to create what she called a mega-braid. Seeing as her hair was so long, it kept her occupied for at least a few hours, so that when she was finished, it was already 9:00 AM.

A knock on the door broke the silence. Willow sighed and went to the door, ready to watch another person's startled expression when they saw her. Willow was very pale and most of her bones were visible because she had always been left to feed herself instead of being provided food.

A stern-looking woman with her black hair pulled into a tight bun was at the door. Willow thought it was slightly odd that she seemed to have no change in her expression when she saw her. She introduced herself by saying, "I am professor McGonnagall. I am here to speak with you and your parent about a school called Hogwarts." She said this very quickly, and Willow noted her use of the word "parent" instead of "parents".

Willow led her inside to the sitting room. "Don't mind him," She added when Professor McGonnagall saw her father. The professor sat down in an armchair.

"I think your father should be conscious while I tell you this information," she said.

Willow replied with, "He'll be too hungover to understand if you even manage to wake him up."

Professor McGonnagall took out a stick and pointed it at her father. His eyes snapped open immediately. "Who are you?" he asked in shock.

"I am Professor McGonnagall and I am here to talk to about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Her father laughed before saying, "This is a joke, isn't it? Tha's very funny." His words were slurred and he clearly wasn't in a state to respond seriously.

"You won't be able to get a good response out of him," Willow said, "Have I been accepted into a school? I didn't apply for one."

" You didn't need to. This is your acceptance letter. I will be accompanying you to Diagon Alley to purchase all of your books, if now is a good time," Professor McGonnall said. Willow read her acceptance letter. It had all sorts of weird things on the booklist, like a cauldron and a wand.

Willow looked her in shock and said, " Can I do magic?"

"You can, Miss Frater," the professor replied, "I will inform you about the wizarding world on our way to Diagon Alley."

Professor McGonnal explained to her all about the wizarding world and how there were muggles, wizards, and witches. She also explained different blood statuses, saying that she would find out sooner or later. Apparently, Willow was considered a half-blood because her mother was a banshee, and her father was a muggle. She explained what Hogwarts would teach her and some other things, too.

Surprisingly, Willow wasn't overwhelmed in the slightest. She was eager to learn more about her new world. Willow bought many extra books to read along with her other school supplies. Diagon Alley and The Leaky Cauldron were very interesting places to her. Professor McGonnagall finally explained how to get onto the platform at the train station and how she wasn't supposed to use magic before school before dropping her off back at her house.

Willow deposited her new school supplies in her room before going back downstairs, where she was surprised by her father, who did the usual routine of gagging her them shoving her back into her room. He was too busy to notice the new supplies Willow had stashed in the corner of the barren room. She waited until he had left to free herself, then curled up on the dusty floor, a new hope filling her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hi again! Happy New Year's! I thought I would post this to give you something to do while you're waiting for the countdown. My current upload schedule is every Tuesday and Friday. I'm sorry that this chapter is a bit boring. The next one will be more exciting!

Willow woke up the next day, still filled with hope. She would finally fit in! She didn't have to be locked in her room all night! She might even make a friend. Willow couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts. She rummaged through her new school supplies and found all the books. She pulled out _The Standard Book of Spells _by Miranda Goshawk, flipped to the introduction, and stared at it.

Willow had just realized her problem: She didn't know how to read. Her father had never given her the opportunity of education. Willow had seen letters before, of course, and could even recognize a few simple words. Willow knew that if she wanted to be able to study at Hogwarts, she would have to be able to read.

With a new determination, Willow started to pick out words that she knew. She decided to start with the word "Magic". She said it out loud, then pointed to the "m", sounding the word out. Now she knew what each letter meant. She continued on with other words until she started to be able to sound out words she didn't know. She also realized that combinations of letters made different sounds, like "ch", or "th". After about an hour, Willow found that she didn't need to put as much thought into reading. The words seem to come to her mind easier.

Willow finished the introduction and moved on to a spell. She read it and practiced the wand movement with her hand, but she didn't want to get her wand out because of what Professor McGonnall had said. She definitely didn't want to get expelled. She then moved on to some of the extra books she had gotten so she could read about the wizarding world.

These books were harder to read, and she still had to sound out a lot of the words. Willow read about famous people, the war, and most interestingly, a boy named Harry Potter. He had stopped the dark wizard, _You-know-who _when he was only a baby_, _and was the only person known to survive the killing curse. Something even more interesting was that he went to Hogwarts! He would be starting his second year this September. He would probably be so popular, though. Willow doubted he would care much about students from years below his.

Willow decided to try a few Defense Against The Dark Arts books, even though it was still very hard for her to read. There were seven books all by the same author, Gileroy Lockhart, who seemed to be pictured on the cover of each book. They seemed to be some sort of set. She skimmed through all the titles to see what sounded the most interesting. There was _Gadding with Ghouls_, _Holidays with Hags_, _Travels with Tro_\- the next one stuck Willow by surprise. It was called _Break with a Banshee_. Fear jolted through Willow's body like lightning. Were they going to be learning about how to defeat banshees while at Hogwarts? Was being part banshee not perfectly normal? Willow didn't know how she was going to survive studying herself.

The other students would be just the same as everyone now… Staring and looking afraid of her… _No,_ She told herself, _don't overreact when you don't know if that's true or not._ She took some deep breaths to try and keep herself calm. After a few minutes, Willow was able to calm herself down enough to put the Lockhart books down and grab _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch.

Willow stayed in her room reading until she got hungry. She had given her father plenty of time to get drunk again, but she still gagged herself, because if her father saw her without it on, she would probably find herself being hit. She quietly went downstairs and peered into the living room. Relief met her when she saw that her father was asleep, still holding a beer bottle that was now slowly sliding out of his hand. She ignored him and ripped off her gag before she grabbed some brunch, as it was now 11:45.

Today was the first day Willow looked at the clock for a date. It was August 16th, which meant she would be off to Hogwarts in less than a month, as term started on September 1st. Willow decided that she should have a goal to read all of her new books (except the Defense Against the Dark Arts ones) before she had to leave for school. She wanted to know all she could so she wouldn't have another way for kids to bully her, if being part banshee was considered unusual, even though she kept convincing herself of the opposite.

Willow wasn't worried about getting to King's Cross, either. When she had travelled with Professor McGonnagall, she had memorized the route they took. They had walked to the place where the Leaky Cauldron was, and Willow could see King's Cross from a little way away. It appeared she lived in the heart of London. All she had to do was sneak out early enough so that she would have plenty of time to walk there.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi guys. Someone in the comments said that this was an uninspired copying of another book. Thank you so much for letting me know. I am truly sorry that you thought this. I can assure you I was not copying. Willow was inspired by a dear friend of mine who is often looked at strangely. I was hoping to write a story for her. Willow is also half-banshee. I'm pretty sure that's an original idea. Although the beginnings of both books may seem similar, the plots will not be. If you had read the summary, you would find that Willow meets friends and solves a mystery. She is not hated, she's just a little misunderstood. Once again, I am dearly sorry you thought this story was uninspired, and a copy of someone else's. I hope you guys enjoy today's chapter. It's a bit longer than the first two.

Over the rest of August, Willow had not just completed her goal of reading all of her books, she also had the time to read them all a second time. Willow had even been brave enough to read one of the Lockhart books- not the banshee one, of course- and thought that Lockhart seemed a little full of himself.

Willow had also found another problem during the month: She couldn't write. She would need to take notes somehow. Willow had started to teach herself by copying letters, then forming words out of it. It wasn't that hard to learn, as she already knew how to read.

On August 31, Willow let her father gag her, then shove her into her room. She waited a little while before escaping and going to her trunk. She started with her cauldron, as that was the largest, and stuffed all of her books, quills, parchment, and other school supplies into it. Then, she stuffed what little clothes and other personal possessions along with her uniform around the sides. She tried her best to keep everything tidy, but the clothes just wanted to flop around. She gave up and closed her trunk.

She put on a black hoodie she had been lucky to find laying around and waited. She watched the windows, not daring to fall asleep, because she might sleep in too late if she did. This was her only chance to get a better life! She couldn't mess up.

Morning came slowly, and when it did, Willow was ready. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she could see a pink-ish glow coming over the horizon, so she knew that was a good sign. Willow carefully opened the door and carried her trunk down the stairs as quietly as she could. She could hear her father snoring, and listened very carefully to it. She would have a rough time leaving if her father woke up.

She had made it all the way to the front door, her hand on the handle, about to i=open the door- "FREAK! HOW DID YOU ESCAPE? COME BACK HERE!" Willow could hear him coming down the stairs. Blood pounding in her ears, she fumbled with the lock,but her hands were shaking. She threw the front door open, and bolted off into the darkness. Her trunk was slowing her down, but she held on tight to it and kept running.

Her heart was still pounding as she mopped the sweat off her face with the side of the hoodie three blocks away. At first, Willow thought she heard someone following her, but it seemed it was only the echo of her footsteps. She didn't want to know what kind of trouble she would be in if she had gotten caught. It had been very close. She continued walking on the planned route. She was enjoying her walk, the coldness of the night and slight breeze felt very calming and pleasant.

But something more than that- she was free! She didn't have to see her father until the summer! She was going to a school for magic, where she would finally fit in!

As it turned out, the walk to King's Cross was a lot further than she expected. By the time she could see the train station, her cover of darkness was gone. Willow didn't mind, though. It would make finding her way easier.

Many people were about their day now, and Willow received her usual stares and frightened faces. She tried her best not to let it bother her. _Hogwarts will be different,_ She reminded herself.

She made it to the train station and made her way to platforms nine and ten. The clock on one of the pillars read 8:30. Willow was surprised by how long it took, but she was also glad that she wouldn't have to wait outside the train station if she was too early.

Willow stepped up to what Professor McGonnagall had called the barrier and put her hand on it. But instead of meeting a hard surface, her hand kept going. Willow smiled and made her way through the barrier.

Platform Nine and Three Quarters already had quite a few people on it, despite Willow being so early. Parents were hugging their kids, and telling them goodbye. Willow looked around. She was already out of place. There was no one to see her off- not that Willow would have wanted one of her parents to see her off, but it still made her feel a little left out.

Willow made her way onto the train. She put her trunk on one of the racks and sat down. Willow sat there for a few minutes, but she didn't know what to do with herself. Finally, she pulled out one of her school textbooks and started to read it. The train started to fill up gradually as the morning moved on.

A blond girl and a redhead came to the door of the carriage, "Excuse me, it's our first year. Do you mind if we sit here?"

Willow looked up from her book and said, "Sure, I don't mind." Both of the girls looked rather uncomfortable when Willow had looked up, and the redhead had even tried to turn around, but they both sat down.

"Uhh, hi. My n-name is Ava and that's Rebecca," said the blond girl. She seemed to be fidgeting with her fingers.

"I'm Willow. It's my first year, too," she responded. Willow knew why the girls were so nervous. Most younger kids were nervous around her. Willow had decided not to go outside anymore around the age of nine. She hated the way people looked at her. They always stared before looking away, the fear manifested on their faces.

The girls started whispering to each other, so Willow went back to reading her book, but she pulled her hair down in front of her face so people passing by wouldn't stare. No one noticed, but Willow couldn't stop a small tear from rolling down her cheek. She really thought people would be different...

Even though these girls were scared of her, that didn't mean everyone would be. Willow held onto her hope. She knew it was going to be hard for her to adjust to beingin a new place with a new routine, but she knew she had to have hope.

Willow finished her book and decided to look out the window instead. The rolling hills were beautiful to look at. She had never been to any other places before. It was all so new and unique. Willow stayed with her face glued to the window for quite some time.

A woman selling candy came to their carriage, and Willow treated herself with a chocolate frog and a pumpkin pastie. Candy was another thing Willow had missed out on. She bit the head off the frog and looked at the card that came with it. Morgana was on the front of it. She had read about her, but she still read the card. The pumpkin pasties were also very good.

Willow grabbed another book from her case and started to read it. The other two girls were still chatting quietly to each other, and Willow could tell they were still scared. The way they would occasionally look at her before continuing what they were doing told her so. She tried not to let it bother her and instead focused more on her book.

Soon, darkness fell, and Willow decided to change into her robes. She put both of her books back into her trunk and stared out the window again. She knew they were getting closer to Hogwarts, and her excitement grew.

The train slowed and then came to a stop. Willow jumped up and grabbed her trunk before heading off the train. She heard a booming voice calling for first years and she headed towards it, her excitement rising while her worries moved to the back of her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi guys! Thank you so much for reading! This story will get interesting, I promise. I forgot to mention last chapter that Ava and Rebecca are not in the books, and neither is Chloe. Ava and Rebecca aren't main characters, but I don't know about Chloe yet. Technically speaking, they're OCs, but they're not that important. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Willow made her way to a giant man, whose name was Hagrid, according to another first-year she overheard. When she walked down the path to the lake, she was astonished at what she saw.

Hogwarts was a giant castle. It was bigger and better than anything Willow had ever seen. The castle was beautiful, and Willow couldn't wait to learn magic inside it. Every time she looked at it, she saw something new. It was amazing.

The first-years all boarded boats at the edge of the lake. Willow ended up in a boat with a girl with bright red hair and freckles and two other girls. The little fleet of boats glided across the lake, where they were met by Professor McGonnagall.

The Professor told them about the sorting before leaving them in a room. Professor McGonnagall seemed very serious, so Willow pulled her hair out of her robes and let it drop to its full length. Even though willow disliked most of her appearance, her hair had always been one of the things she took pride in.

Professor McGonnagall led them to a large room where the rest of the students were being held, which she called the Great Hall. Right in front of the table where the Professors were seated sat a stool with a hat on it. It looked very tattered and old.

Strangely, the hat used a tear in itself as a mouth to sing a song. The Sorting Hat told about each house and the founders. Most students were probably thinking about what house they wanted to go into, but Willow had no idea which one she wanted. She could be any of them, really. Willow didn't really care, either. She just wanted to learn all that she could.

Each student was called by Professor McGonnagall to try the hat on, where the hat would announce their new house. Willow waited patiently until- "Frater, Willow". Willow made her way to the front, sat on the stool, and put the hat on. It covered her eyes, but Willow didn't mind.

"Hmm," a voice said, "I see you have some bravery, knowing how to get yourself out of difficult situations, but you also have the desire to fit in… Yes, you're a tricky one, too. You're not much of a talker, are you? But, I also see that you want to learn all that you can… yes, that's very important…" the hat paused and then said, You'd be a perfect fit for… RAVENCLAW!"

Willow stood up and gave the hat to Professor McGonnagall. It made sense. Now that she thought about it, she did belong in Ravenclaw. She really wanted to go to Hogwarts and learn everything she could about magic. She also didn't think Ravenclaws liked to talk very much. From what Willow had seen (which wasn't all that much, she reminded herself), they seemed rather quiet.

She sat down next to a girl from an older year and watched the rest of the sorting. Unfortunately for Willow, the two girls on the train were also put in Ravenclaw, so she tried her best to focus on her food more than talking to other people. She just didn't know how to start a conversation.

Professor Dumbledore, who Willow had read about, stood up and gave a speech. He announced the new defense against the dark arts professor, who just so happened to be Gilderoy Lockhart himself. Willow's heart skipped a beat. This man had defeated a banshee! How was Professor Lockhart going to even think about liking her?

Willow stopped listening to the speech. She was starting to think it would be impossible for her to fit in. Eventually, the Ravenclaw prefects started to lead the first-years up to the dormitories, which for Ravenclaw, were in one tower, and Gryffindor's were in the other.

Willow entered her dorm room and sat down at the bed where her stuff had been brought to. A chair sat next to the bed with a Ravenclaw tie and scarf. She had never felt anything like her new bed. It was very soft and comforting. Willow was used to sleeping on wooden floors at home, so this was a huge improvement.

The other girls came in and started to introduce themselves in a circle. There were Ava and Rebecca, which she already knew, a short-haired girl named Chloe, and a girl named Luna, who had dirty-blonde hair, and didn't seem to be very interested in the conversation.

When it came time for Willow to say her name, she said it quickly and hoped that no one would say anything. The girls looked at her oddly, taking in her appearance, and started to whisper- except for the girl named Luna. She smiled before taking out a magazine called The Quibbler.

Willow couldn't hide the fact that she was a little disappointed. She had been put in a house with two girls who had already disliked her, and Chloe was no different. Luna wasn't as bad, but she still seemed like she wanted nothing to do with Willow.

Willow sighed and pulled her curtains closed around her bed. She changed into pyjamas and started to read before falling asleep. She fell asleep quickly because of how comfortable her new bed was compared to her spot on the floor, and her mood changed overnight. She would be starting classes tomorrow. Willow hoped tomorrow would be as exciting as she thought it would be.


End file.
